Binder clip



y 5, 1932- L. E. BALTZLEY 3 BINDER CLIP Filed Feb. 27, 1930 INVENTOR W A ORNEY WWW Patented July 5, 1932 PATENT OFFl'CE LOUIS E. BALIZLEY, OF GLEN RIDGE, NEW JERSEY BINDER CLIP Application filed February 27, 1930. Serial No. 431,660.

Special obj ects of the present invention are to provide a binder clip, which will hold papers or other. articles firmly and positively, irrespective of irregularities or varying thicknesses of material; to provide a clip which will hold interposed articles at a plurality of definitely relatively spaced points, so as to resist or prevent twisting of the binder onthe gripped papers and to accomplish these desirable results in a simple, inexpensive and entirely practical construction.

The foregoing and other desirable objects are attained in this invention by certain novel features of construction, combination and relations of parts as hereinafter described and broadly covered in the claims.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification illustrates several of the many possible commercial embodiments of the invention, and it will be evident that further modifications of structure may be made without departure from the true spirit and intent of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one of the binder clips showing it with the jaws in closed relation; Fig. 2 is a front ed e view of the same illustrating the parts as they appear with suflicient pressure applied to the handles to separate the end portions of the jaws, while leaving the intermediate gripping portions still engaged; Fig. 3 is a sectional detail illustrating the self-compensating action of the independent gripping jaw segments when engaged with material of varying thickness; Fig. i is a side elevation of a modification having flat, smooth intermediate jaw sections; Fig. 5 is a similar view of another form having curled edge intermediate gripping sections; Fig. 6 is an edge view, with handles removed of another form having serrated or saw tooth meshing intermediate gripping jaw sections.

In its general construction, the binder herein shown is of the type covered by the 1 Louis E. Baltzley Patent 1,139,627 of May 18, 1915 with the main body of the device consisting of a single piece of spring steel of substantially triangular shape providing convergent jaws 7 8, connected by a flat back piece 9. These jaws are shown operated as in the patent by means of spring wire handles 10 having outwardly bent ends 11 engaged in rolled over sockets 12 at the ends of the jaws, said handles then serving as levers in the. positions indicated in Figs. land 2 55 for spreading the jaws and being pivoted to the position shown in Figs. 4; and 5, so as not to project beyond the back when not in use.

It has been found in practise, that with the jaws of continuous extent as in the patent mentioned, there may be tendencies at times for the jaws to grip only at one point instead of full length. Thus when holding papers which have staples or rivets in them, these fastenings form humps providing high spots which will be gripped by the jaws and which will hold the jaws so separated that they will not grip the papers at any other points. Also in shaping and tempering the steel, the jaws are liable to take a bend or 7; set which may cause them to grip the papers at one point without really holding at other points. Under such circumstances, the papers may either slip out of the hinder or the binder slip or rotate about the center of gripping engagement.

The objections noted have been overcome in the present invention by making the jaws discontinuous and with separated gripping portions and in a preferred form by giving certain of the separated jaw sections a set which will cause them totake hold in advance of and to let go after the othergripping aw sections.

In the forms of the invention herein illustrated, the jaws are slotted inwardly, that is toward the back, at 13 on somewhat convergent lines to provide the intermediate tongues or gripping sections 14 between the end jaw sections 15 to which the ends of the handles are connected.

These intermediate independent jaw sections 14 may be flattened down, toward each other, forv example on the lines of juncture with the main body of the jaw at 16, so that they will have a tendency to come together sooner and remain engaged longer than the end jaw sections 15. v This feature is illus trated particularly in Fig. 2, which shows how with suflicient pressure on the handles 10 to open the end aw sections 15, the intermediate jaw sections 14 may remain still engaged. With further pressure, these intermediate jaw members, being rooted to the main body portion of the jaws, will come open but to a somewhat lesser extent than the end jaw portions 15, remaining thus in position to close upon inserted papers ahead of the end jaw parts. The intermediate jaw sections readily accommodate themselves to any projections or irregularities in the papers or other material gripped in the binder. Thus, for example, as shown in Fig. 3, these intermediate jaw parts being more flexible and springing independently of the end jaw parts may spread to a greater extent to accommodate themselves to staples 17, rivets or other fastenings in the papers or gripped material 18.

To further increase the gripping action of the intermediate jaw parts, they may be reversely corrugated along their meeting edges as at 19 in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, or they may have mating saw toothed or roughened edges as at 20 in Fig. 6. Where such positive gripping action is not desirable, the intermediate jaw elements may be left with straight flat gripping edges as indicated in Fig. 4-, or with rolled over edges as indicated at 21 in Fig. 5. This rolled over construction StlllGIlS the gripping edges and provides a hold for an opening tool or additional handle which may be applied to the intermediate jaws. The separation of the intermediate jaw sections from the end jaw sections provides also for a certain independence of movement of said end jaw sections, enabling them to adapt themselves to variations in thickness,i'ougliness in the material gripped, etc., the material in effect being gripped at three separated points and being held at each one of those points independently of the other two points.

What is claimed is:

1. A binder clip, comprising cooperating spring jaws composed of independently formed resilient jaw portions and other jaw portions, one set of such jaw portions being offset from the remaining jaw portions to such an extent as will enable the independently formed resilient jaw portions to grip material before the other jaw portions.

2. A binder clip, comprising cooperating spring jaws composed of independently formed resilient aw portions and other jaw portions, one set of such jaw portions being offset from the remaining jaw portions to such an extent as will enable the independently formed resilient jaw portions to grip material before the other jaw portions and handle means connected with said remaining j aw portions and independent of the resilient aw portions to leave the latter free to operate independently of said remaining jaw portions. V

3. A binder-clip, comprising cooperating spring jaws composed of independently formed resilient jaw portions and other jaw portions, one set of such jaw portions being ofiset from the remaining jaw portions to such an extent as will enable the independently formed resilient jaw portions to grip material before the other aw portions, said remaining jaw portions being disposed at the ends of the binder clip and the independently formed resilient jaw portions being disposed in the intermediate portions of the clip between said end aw portions.

4. A. binder clip, comprising cooperating spring jaws composed of independently formed resilient jaw portions and other jaw portions, one set of such jaw portions being offset from the remaining jaw portions to such an extent as will enable the independently formed resilient jaw portions to grip material before the other jaw portions, said independently acting and the remaining jaw portions being all constructed of the same integral spring sheet material and the independently formed resilient jaw portions being provided by slots extending inward from the edges of the spring pressed jaws and separating the ends of said independently formed resilient jaw portions from the ends of the remaining jaw portions.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

LOUIS E. BALTZLEY. 

